Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson

Last updated
Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye
Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye Cover.jpg
Compilation album by
various artists
ReleasedOctober 31, 1990 [1]
Recorded1990
Genre Rock
Label Sire
Producer Bill Bentley
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye is a 1990 tribute album to singer-songwriter Roky Erickson, founder of the 13th Floor Elevators and solo artist, whose career was subject to significant periods of challenge from schizophrenia. The album was released by Sire Records in the United States, and by WEA International in Europe. [3] The album was produced by Bill Bentley, who also produced a 1999 tribute album to Moby Grape co-founder Skip Spence, [4] who, like Erickson, was subject to the challenges of schizophrenia. The album's title is said to be Erickson's definition of psychedelic music. [5]

Contents

The album was produced with the intention of raising money for Erickson and exposing his music to a wider audience.

In 2017, 2000 copies of a two-LP edition of the album were released exclusively for Record Store Day 2017, which marked its first appearance on vinyl. [6]

Production

The bands on the compilation were a mix of Austin, Texas musicians, Erickson fans or associates, and groups on the roster of major labels Warner Bros. and Sire. Due to the maximum-length difference between compact discs, cassettes, and LPs, several songs had to be left off the original CD release, but were included on the cassette and LP versions: The Mighty Lemon Drops' "Splash #1", Lyres' "We Sell Soul," and Angry Samoans' "White Faces." R.E.M. appears twice: Credited under the band's real name on "I Walked With a Zombie," and under the alias "Vibrating Egg," with their manager Jefferson Holt on vocals, for the song "Bermuda." [7]

Stu Cook, a bassist of the country-rock band Southern Pacific, which covered "It's a Cold Night For Alligators" for the tribute album, had produced more than a dozen of Erickson's songs in 1979, which became Erickson's album The Evil One . [7]

Critical reception

AllMusic reviewer Mark Deming wrote that "there are several moments of very real beauty and power here, especially from the artists who share Erickson's Texas heritage — Doug Sahm and ZZ Top rock out on their contributions, the Butthole Surfers' version of 'Earthquake' is one of their finest moments on wax, and T-Bone Burnett's take on 'Nothing in Return' is a heart-tugging gem." [2] Joe Nick Patoski of Texas Monthly called it "the best rock and roll album I've heard in years," praising the musicians' "unbridled passion" for Erickson's songwriting. [8] The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "an eloquent tribute to the enduring strength of Erickson's songwriting." [9]

Track listing

  1. "Reverberation (Doubt)" – ZZ Top
  2. "If You Have Ghosts" – John Wesley Harding & The Good Liars
  3. "I Had to Tell You" – Poi Dog Pondering
  4. "She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)" – Judybats
  5. "Slip Inside This House" – Primal Scream
  6. "You Don't Love Me Yet" – Bongwater
  7. "I Have Always Been Here Before" – Julian Cope
  8. "You're Gonna Miss Me" – Doug Sahm & Sons
  9. "It's a Cold Night for Alligators" – Southern Pacific
  10. "Fire Engine" – Richard Lloyd
  11. "Bermuda" – Vibrating Egg
  12. "I Walked with a Zombie" – R.E.M.
  13. "Earthquake" – Butthole Surfers
  14. "Don't Slander Me" – Lou Ann Barton
  15. "Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog)" – Sister Double Happiness
  16. "Burn the Flames" – Thin White Rope
  17. "Postures (Leave Your Body Behind)" – Chris Thomas [10] featuring Tabby Thomas
  18. "Nothing in Return" – T-Bone Burnett
  19. "Splash #1" – The Mighty Lemon Drops
  20. "We Sell Soul" – Lyres
  21. "White Faces" – Angry Samoans
  22. "Reverberation (Doubt)" – The Jesus and Mary Chain

Tracks 19–21 appear only on the original cassette release and the 2017 double LP reissue.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 13th Floor Elevators</span> American rock band

The 13th Floor Elevators was an American rock band from Austin, Texas, United States, formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland. The band was together from 1965 to 1969, and during that period released four albums and seven singles for the International Artists record label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roky Erickson</span> American musician (1947–2019)

Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre in the 1960s, as well as horror rock in the 1970s and 80s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butthole Surfers</span> American rock band

Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music of Texas</span>

The U.S. state of Texas has long been a center for musical innovation and is the birthplace of many notable musicians. Texans have pioneered developments in Tejano and Conjunto music, Rock 'n Roll, Western swing, jazz, Piano, punk rock, country, hip-hop, electronic music, gothic industrial music, religious music, mariachi, psychedelic rock, zydeco and the blues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trance Syndicate</span> Record label

Trance Syndicate was an independent record label founded in 1990 by King Coffey, drummer of Austin, Texas band the Butthole Surfers. Its first release was Crust's The Sacred Heart of Crust EP. From 1990 to 1999, when the label closed down, Trance Syndicate released albums by several notable Texan bands and artists, including Pain Teens, Bedhead, Ed Hall, American Analog Set, Furry Things, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Roky Erickson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stu Cook</span> American bass player (born 1945)

Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for being a member of the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Sahm</span> American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (1941–1999)

Douglas Wayne Sahm was an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from San Antonio, Texas. He is regarded as a key Tex-Mex music and Texan Music performer. San Antonio's conjunto and blues and later the hippie scene of San Francisco helped create his blend of music, with which he found success performing in 1970s Austin, Texas.

<i>Live PCPPEP</i> 1984 live album by Butthole Surfers

Live PCPPEP is a live EP and first official live album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in September 1984. All songs were written by the Butthole Surfers, and recorded live at The Meridian in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25, 1984.

Teresa Taylor, also known as Teresa Nervosa, was an American musician and actress. She was best known as a drummer for the American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers.

<i>Humpty Dumpty LSD</i> 2002 compilation album by Butthole Surfers

Humpty Dumpty LSD is the second compilation album by American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers, released in July 2002. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, except for "Earthquake," which is a cover version of the 13th Floor Elevators song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Pacific (band)</span> American country rock band

Southern Pacific was an American country rock band that existed from 1983 to 1991. They are best known for hits such as "Any Way the Wind Blows" (1989), which was used in the soundtrack for the film Pink Cadillac starring Clint Eastwood and Bernadette Peters, and "New Shade of Blue". Southern Pacific was named New Country Group of the Year when they debuted and have been honored by having their name added to the Country Music Association's Walkway of Stars in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lynn Perko-Truell is an American musician, best known as the drummer, bass guitarist, and co-singer for the San Francisco indie rock band Imperial Teen. She is also known as the drummer for the San Francisco-based blues grunge band Sister Double Happiness, and the San Francisco version of the hardcore punk band The Dicks. Perko-Truell was an iconic figure and a pioneering female in the American hardcore punk and alternative rock movements of the 1980s and 1990s and remains active.

<i>More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album</i> 1999 compilation album by Various Artists

More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album is a 1999 tribute album completed shortly before and released shortly after the death of Moby Grape founding member Skip Spence. The album contains cover versions by various artists of Spence's music from his Oar album, released in 1969, presented in the same order as on the original album. The album also contains a hidden bonus track of Spence's last known recording, "Land of the Sun", which was originally commissioned for the X-Files soundtrack, Songs in the Key of X, but not used.

Bill Bentley is an American music industry executive, particularly notable for having produced tribute albums of the music of significant cult artists Roky Erickson (1990), Skip Spence (1999), Doug Sahm (2009) and Lou Reed, in addition to other recording projects.

ST 37 is an Austin, Texas-based psych/space rock band formed in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shandon Sahm</span> American drummer (born 1969)

Shandon Sahm is an American drummer, who is a native of San Antonio, Texas and is best known for his two stints as the drummer of the Meat Puppets, from 1999–2002 and 2009–2018.

<i>The Evil One</i> 1980 album by Roky Erickson and The Aliens

The Evil One, also known as Roky Erickson and the Aliens or I Think of Demons officially, and as TEO, Five Symbols or Hieroglyph in some circles, is the first album by American psychedelic horror rock band Roky Erickson and the Aliens. The album was Ericksn's first after his time with the band the 13th Floor Elevators and several years of personal problems. The recording sessions took place in 1978 and 1979, with 15 songs completed. A U.K. version was released in 1980, followed by a U.S. version in 1981, each with a different 10-song track listing. Subsequent digital releases and expanded vinyl editions of the album comprise all 15 songs.

<i>Dont Slander Me</i> 1986 album by Roky Erickson

Don't Slander Me is an album by the American musician Roky Erickson, recorded in 1982 or 1983 and released in 1986. It features former Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady as part of Erickson's backing band, as well as former members of the Aliens.

<i>May the Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute to Roky Erickson</i> 2021 tribute album to Roky Erickson

May the Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute to Roky Erickson is an album by various artists, released July 17, 2021, on indie record label Light in the Attic. It is the first posthumous tribute album for Erickson and is produced by Bill Bentley, who also assembled the 1990 Erickson tribute album Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye for Sire Records.

<i>All That May Do My Rhyme</i> 1995 studio album by Roky Erickson

All That May Do My Rhyme is an album by the American musician Roky Erickson. It was released in 1995 on Trance Syndicate Records, an independent record label founded in 1990 by King Coffey, drummer of Austin, Texas, band the Butthole Surfers.

References

  1. "Photo". s.pixogs.com.
  2. 1 2 Mark Deming, Review of Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye: A Tribute To Roky Erickson; www.allmusic.com.
  3. Discogs Listing of Release Versions; www.discogs.com.
  4. More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album (Birdman Records)
  5. See Roky Erickson.
  6. "RSD '17 Special Release: - Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye--A Tribute To Roky Erickson" via recordstoreday.com.
  7. 1 2 Bentley, Bill (2017-04-21). "Record Store Day Unearths a Roky Erickson Rarity". Austin Chronicle . Austin, Texas . Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  8. Patoski, Joe NIck (November 1990). "StateWide: Roky Rocks". Texas Monthly . Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  9. Anthony DeCurtis; James Henke; Holly George-Warren, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. ISBN   978-0-679-73729-2.
  10. Now known professionally as Chris Thomas King.